Has anyone had this problem?

My Tahoe Hybrid was one year old in October. I bought one of the last 08 models available.

The first time I brought it in for service, the technician told me that the wiring harness had been chewed through, presumably by rodents, and that I really should replace it. This is the big, high voltage wiring loom in the engine compartment that goes from a voltage regulating unit down to the electric motors in the transmission. The work would not be covered by warranty, and would be expensive.

I have postponed the work. I really don't want to spend the money. So far, the car works fine. But, copper is exposed on some of the wires, and I really should do something about it before there are real problems.

I have several cars, have lived in the same house for years, drove and parked the Tahoe in the same places as the other cars. I have never had a nibble in any other vehicle, let alone needed to replace the whole wiring harness. Also, there is a large bag of dog food stored in the garage right next to the Tahoe's parking space. The bag is closed, but not sealed. I would think that a rodent would crawl in there or chew through the bag long before devouring wiring insulation ...

Is there something about these large tasty cables that rats like? Has this happened to anyone?

I have another theory, but I don't know if I can prove it. When I bought the car, the dealer and I negotiated a price based on current incentives. We were talking about a specific car in his inventory. When he went to process the deal, he realized that the car was an 09, and some of the incentives were not available. I was going to walk away from the deal. He found an 08 with the right equipment combination (delete sunroof and entertainment system) at another dealer and did a dealer trade. I came back a couple of days later to take delivery, and had to wait. The car was late. They hurried to prep the car. Did they inspect the car thoroughly? Was the wiring already damaged while sitting at the other dealership? I never even opened the hood. Lesson learned!

Any insight or information will be appreciated!

 

personally I would be very nice but also ask to talk to the regional service mgr. again being nice but presenting your case and theory. the one thing you have going for you is did the dealer inspect the car thoroughly BEFORE they swapped vehicles to make SURE there was nothing wrong. The fact that you had to wait for it even though it was a brand new car sounds kind of like there was a pre-existing problem.
Like I said be NON-CONFRONTATIONAL and NICE to to everyone no screaming or shouting etc. tell them how much you like the car etc. stuff like that goes a LONG way as they are used to the irate customer not the appreciative positive customer.
as to the rat eaten wiring....I have heard of that in some older vehicles, usually foreign, but I think it would be a pretty rare anomaly, and I would have to see it to believe it myself.

 

Where do you live? I just cleaned rat droppings from the top of the engine of my Aston Martin, I fixed wires chewed through on my Caprice Wagon (they love wires) and I have a dishwasher in my garage I replaced because they found a way underneath and ate the pump.
I live with 35 Avocado trees in an old orchard, and this is the price for the free Avocados.

 

I had rats chew the wires in my 99 Silverado while under warranty and the dealer fixed it without charging me.

 

Thanks. I took the issue up the chain of command yesterday. Chevrolet is adamant that the car was not damaged when sold. They tell me that there is evidence that rats have been in the car recently. I guess that I need to submit a claim to my homeowner's insurance.

 

I live in Mission Viejo, CA. No avacado trees, but a lot of mature landscaping on a typical residential lot. We have had rats in the house, but use an extermination service, and have not had rats since long before I bought the Tahoe. At least that's what I thought!

 

To Black 08 Tahoe: From your description these are the bundles of 3-phase AC cables to the transmission.
In any event all high voltage cables have the orange cover insulation over a grounded wire braided shield. You may be seeing the exposed shield. The rodents would have to chew through the shield wire and then another 1/8 inch or so of more insulation to get at the core of the high voltage conuctor.


Carefully inspect the shield under the chewed outer cover. If the shield is perfect and I do mean "perfect" with no holes chewed through and no sharp bristles of the wire, you may consider just taping it up to keep water out.

If they chewed through the shiled and started down into the inner core, you should replace them.

3M makes all sorts of realgood tape products. I bet jet1 can steer you to some.

 

There is also a liquid electrical tape, that would be useful here. Use it first, then wrap it with a similar orange colored electrical tape.

 

I personally would be hesitant to repair vs replace but there are many very good aviation type products you might use for a fix.

3M makes all sorts of realgood tape products. I bet jet1 can steer you to some.[/quote]

 

Thanks for the tape and liquid tape suggestions.

Unfortunately, the sheilding braids are frayed. Just slightly, but frayed. That's on the visible orange cable that you can see when you open the hood. I am concerned that there might be more damage deeper down where it is not so visible.

An insurance adjuster is coming next week. Hopefully, the insurance company will accept liability and I can get this fixed properly without spending 10 years worth of fuel savings!

I'll post back to the group when resolved. Thanks to all who had answers and suggestions.